Electronic controllers are currently being used to control a variety of components on vehicles, such as, for example, the engine, the transmission, and/or the brakes. When operating properly, these controllers enhance a vehicle's performance and/or safety.
In operation, the controllers often need to exchange data with each other regarding their and/or the vehicle's status. To exchange this data, the controllers usually use a bus, which is typically a wire or group of wires, to convey electrical signals that represent data. Thus, being able to monitor the signals on the bus is beneficial because the operational status of the controllers and/or the vehicle may be deduced. Furthermore, because many electronic controllers may be interrogated and/or controlled, being able to insert messages onto the bus is beneficial.
Unfortunately, typical devices that monitor and/or insert messages on a vehicle bus, such as, for example, a diagnostic computer, usually require a direct connection to the vehicle bus. Thus, each time one of these devices is used to monitor and/or insert messages on the vehicle bus, it must be connected to the bus, which increases set-up time and cost. Moreover, the connector in the vehicle may become damaged by repeated connections. Additionally, many of these devices tend to be rather large and, hence, are not very portable. Thus, the vehicle may have to be moved to be connected to the device, further increasing time and cost. Furthermore, because different devices are used for different functions, the vehicle may have to be moved several times to allow each device to monitor and/or insert messages on the bus, further increasing time and cost.